1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to outdoor patio heating devices and, more specifically, to a Patio Heater Double Dome Infrared Heat Reflector/Converter.
2. Description of Related Art
Propane-fueled heaters are prevalent for heating outdoor spaces. Many restaurants and taverns provide the heaters to heat outdoor serving areas in the evenings. The typical heater used in such hospitality environments are large units that utilize a five gallon propane cylinder for fuel, although the same issue discussed herein applies to Natural Gas-fueled and Electric heaters. Residential use of these “patio” heaters has grown over the years, with a smaller, table-top version being created that is ideal for the home application. Except for scale/size, the elements of the table-top unit are essentially comparable to the full-size models. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional (table-top) patio heater 10.
The patio heater 10 has a base 12, within which the propane cylinder is contained. A stem 14 extends upwardly from the base 12 to the burner 16. The propane flow passes through the stem 14 to supply the burner 16 with fuel. Presumably for safety reasons, the burner 16 is topped by a heat shield 18, and often surrounded by a guard 20. The heat shield 18 is defined by a circular (typically) perimeter edge 24, and is removably attached to the burner 16 by a securing nut 22 (or by some other fastening system).
While the conventional patio heater 10 is very handy to increase personal comfort while entertaining or otherwise spending time outdoors, it does suffer from problems related to inefficiency (large fuel consumption) and environmental problems related to the combustion of the fuel. While there are heaters available that use a fixed fuel source (such a natural gas), rather than a self-contained propane tank, most heaters 10 employ a portable source. Table-top units are generally too small to have a piped-in is fuel source, and the piping would harm the utility of even having a table-top unit. With large models, the portability of the heater is lost if a permanent piped fuel source is used.
For these reasons, an integrated tank is by far the most useful version of the patio heater 10. The drawback of the tank version is that there is a finite amount of available fuel. As a result, any way to increase efficiency of the heater 10 and/or burner 16 will extend the lifespan of the fuel in a tank, and therefore reduce the number of tank exchanges. Furthermore, by increasing efficiency and by reducing fuel consumption, it is expected that the environmental concerns associated with the increasing numbers of active propane-fueled heaters would be lessened.